locker room

The Wright Path

The nation’s first black college hockey coach met adversity with determination and humor

“The stars aligned. I
wanted to teach and coach, and I was able to do that at UB. It was an unbelievably fulfilling dream.”

Ed Wright

By David J. Hill

Every morning, Ed Wright, 72, walks 5 miles around his suburban
neighborhood outside Tucson, Ariz. He does this as much for his
mental health as his physical well-being. “I get to
reflect,” he says. “Not a day goes by where my
experiences at UB aren’t the first thing on my
mind.”

Wright’s career as a coach, teacher and administrator
spanned more than 40 years, beginning in 1970, when the university
made NCAA history by hiring him as the first black hockey coach in
the country. As such, his path would not be easy, but it was
nothing his early life hadn’t prepared him for.

Wright grew up in poverty in Chatham, Ontario, about 50 miles
across the border from Detroit. His father died when he was 6, and
to help fill the void, he threw himself into sports. He played
baseball and football, but excelled in hockey.

He was nicknamed “Pebble” because of his small size.
He was called far worse because he was black. Still, the 5-foot-3,
138-pounder chose hard work over hatred, ignoring the insults
hurled his way in multiple arenas.

Wright played on scholarship at Boston University, among the
nation’s elite hockey programs, from 1965 to 1969. He stayed
at BU for his master’s in education and had offers to teach
in the Boston public school system when UB came calling. It was
1970 and, having just obtained varsity status, the hockey
program needed a full-time coach.

With the campus in protest at the time over racial bias in
athletics, the university was eager to hire a black coach. Bulls
player Paul Morrissey (BA ’71), a former teammate of
Wright’s in Chatham, suggested Wright for the gig. “The
stars aligned for me,” says Wright, who was hired as both the
hockey coach and a physical education instructor (he was later
promoted to assistant professor, then professor and director of
recreation and intramural services). “I wanted to teach and
coach, and I was able to do that at UB. It was an unbelievably
fulfilling dream.”

But on the flip side of the dream were the realities of being a
person of color in a very white sport. Fans in opposing arenas
often chanted racial slurs at Wright, and even mocked UB’s
players for skating for a black coach.

At a team dinner one night, the server presented the check to
each of the players—all of whom were white—before
finally handing it to Wright. “I chuckle at that because of
the ignorance it shows,” he says. “Those things take
their toll on you. But you can overcome all that with hard work and
determination, the belief that you can’t be
denied.”

Wright brought respect and credibility to UB’s fledgling
hockey program. As a coach, he took pride in his ability to push
his players to be their best. One of those players, Tunney Murchie
(MBA ’76, BA ’75), was so appreciative of his mentor
that in 2010 he donated $220,000 to have the renovated Triple Gym
in Alumni Arena renamed the Edward
L. Wright Practice Facility.

Wright led UB’s hockey program until 1981, when he took a
leave of absence to work on his doctorate. He returned for his 12th
and final season in 1986. The following year, hockey at UB became a
club sport, which it remains today.

Wright’s impact at UB extended well beyond the ice,
touching countless students’ lives through his role as
director of intramural programs. He retired in 2012 as head of the
academic instruction program for the Division of Athletics and
moved to Arizona with his wife, Sheila.

He has made a point of visiting Buffalo for the annual UB hockey
alumni game each year since retiring. And despite some of the
difficult situations he endured, he remains extremely fond of his
time here.

“The university is very much a part of me and will
continue to be,” he says. “I feel blessed to have had
the opportunities I did at UB.”